On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy the eighteenth named storm and tenth hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, made landfall on the New Jersey coastline. Sandy was the largest Atlantic hurricane on record, as measured by diameter, with winds spanning 1,100 miles. Sandy is estimated in early calculations to have caused damage of at least $20 billion. Preliminary estimates of losses that include business interruption surpass $50 billion, which, if confirmed, would make it the second-costliest Atlantic hurricane in history, behind only Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricane Sandy affected at least 24 states, from Florida to Maine and west to Michigan and Wisconsin, with particularly severe damage in New Jersey and New York. Its storm surge hit New York City, flooding streets, tunnels and subway lines and cutting power in and around the city.

The state of Texas was on standby to assist with several people sent north to assist with response efforts. Nine Texans were deployed to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Incident Support Teams (ISTs).

FEMA’s US&R ISTs provide a group of highly qualified specialists readily available for rapid assembly and deployment to a disaster area. The IST furnishes federal, state, and local officials with technical assistance in acquiring and using US&R resources. It provides advice, incident command assistance, management and coordination of US&R task forces, and US&R logistics support.

Texas remains ready to support the recovery of all Americans affected by Hurricane Sandy.